Alabama Volleyball Hosts Auburn for Midweek Match Wednesday

Wednesday, November 9

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

5:00 p.m.

Alabama

Auburn

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Alabama Volleyball Hosts Auburn for Midweek Match Wednesday

11/8/2016 12:35:00 PM | Volleyball

Match Notes (PDF)Live Stats Live Video

THIS WEEK
Wednesday, Nov. 9 vs. Auburn (14-12, 8-5 SEC)
5 p.m. CT - Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Foster Auditorium
ESPNU

FOLLOW THE TIDE

Live Video: ESPNU
Live Stats: rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaVBall

SCOUTING ALABAMA (16-10, 5-8 SEC)

Alabama dropped a midweek road contest at Texas A&M on Thursday before rebounding with a four-set win over Arkansas at home on Sunday.
Krystal Rivers' career kills total now sits at 2,029 which is 61 shy of Erin Heffner's (2001-04) career record of 2,090. Rivers is averaging 5.86 kills per set this season, which is the second-highest rate of any player in program history. Her career average is at 4.38 kills per set, which is also third in Tide history.
Rivers leads the SEC and the nation in kills (586) and points (663.0) and is ranked second nationally and top in the SEC in kills per set (5.86/set) and points per set (6.63/set). She also ranks sixth in the SEC in service aces (36, 0.36/set).
Alabama will be facing Auburn for the second time this season, having previously lost a four-set contest to the Tigers on the road on Oct. 9. Under head coach Ed Allen, Alabama is 3-1 against its in-state rival in Tuscaloosa.

THE OPPONENT
Auburn Tigers

Southeastern Conference
2016 Record: 14-12 (8-5 SEC)
Head Coach: Rick Nold (Sixth season)
Record at Auburn: 78-73 (.517)

2016 Stat Leaders

Attack Percentage - Emily Klitzke - .306
Kills - Brenna McIlroy - 288
Assists - Alexa Filley - 1017
Digs - Jesse Earl - 537
Blocks - Breanna Barksdale- 78.0
Aces - Jesse Earl- 39

LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA FALLS TO TEXAS A&M, DEFEATS ARKANSAS

Texas A&M 3, Alabama 1 Alabama volleyball fell in a tough-four set road match at Texas A&M Thursday night, as the Aggies used a late comeback in the third set to spur a decisive win in the fourth to take the match, 3-1. Alabama dropped the opening set to Texas A&M, 20-25, but rebounded with a big 25-18 win in the second to even it up at intermission. The Tide reached set point first in the third set but the Aggies made a huge late comeback to win, 25-27, and seal it with a 16-25 win in the fourth. Krystal Rivers led all players with 25 kills and added 10 digs for her eighth double-double, her fifth in the last seven matches, while fellow senior Brittany Thomas earned her fourth double-double with 12 kills and a team-leading 19 digs.
Alabama 3, Arkansas 1 Alabama volleyball used a balanced offensive attack to overcome a set one loss to Arkansas and win three-straight sets to claim the 3-1 victory Sunday at Foster Auditorium. Alabama dropped the first set to Arkansas, 22-25, but rebounded with 25-14, 25-22 and 25-12 decisions in the next three. A balanced Crimson Tide offensive attack was led by Krystal Rivers with a triple-double, notching 10 kills, 18 digs and a career-high 12 blocks, including four solo and two block assists. Alexa Tomlak finished with 37 assists and 13 digs, good for her second double-double, while Brittany Thomas finished one dig shy of her own with 12 kills and nine digs. Hayley McSparin earned 11 kills from the middle, hitting .526 with just one error on 19 swings. As a team, Alabama posted a season-high 14.0 team blocks while holding the Razorback offense to a .055 clip, including a .000 hitting percentage in the deciding fourth set.

TEXAS A&M / ARKANSAS SUPERLATIVES

With the sixth point in the second set against Texas A&M, Krystal Rivers notched her 2,000th career kill, becoming just the second player in program history to do so along with career record-holder Erin Heffner (2001-04).
Krystal Rivers didn't lead the team in kills on Sunday against Arkansas but managed to make Crimson Tide history courtesy of her all-around game. With 10 kills, 18 digs and a career-high 12 blocks, Rivers earned her first triple-double and just the second for any Alabama player in the last 20 years. The only other Tide player in the last 20 years to do so was Andrea McQuaid on Oct. 30, 2011 vs. Auburn, where she totaled 10 kills, 21 assists and 12 digs.
Sunday's win over Arkansas is the fifth time this season that Alabama had at least three players in double-digit kills as well as double-digit digs. Three of those five matches have come in SEC play (Oct. 12 vs. Mississippi State, Oct. 16 vs. Missouri, Nov. 6 vs. Arkansas) and three of the five came in four-set matches while the remaining two went five sets.

RIVERS IN THE RECORD BOOKS
As Krystal Rivers nears the end of her Crimson Tide career, the fifth-year senior is poised to finish among the top 10 in numerous career categories at Alabama. With 2,029 kills, she is 61 away from tying Erin Heffner's (2001-04) school record of 2,090. Similarly, she is only 26.0 points away from tying Heffner's career record of 2,391.5.

Krystal Rivers Career Rankings at Alabama (Top 10)

Kills - 2nd (2,029)
Points - 2nd (2,365.5)
Attacks - 2nd (4,446)
Kills Per Set - 3rd (4.38)
Points Per Set - 3rd (5.11)
Solo Blocks - 5th (71)
Attack Percent - 6th (.314)
Block Assists - 6th (283)
Total Blocks - 6th (354)
Sets Played - 6th (463)
Matches Played - 9th (122)
Aces - 10th (124)

THE TIDE SHINES ON SEC NETWORK
Both of this week's matches mark Alabama's fifth and sixth appearances on the SEC Network this season. Since the debut of the SEC Network in 2014, Alabama has been featured in 20 matches and has won 14 of them, including a 10-2 mark at home and 4-4 on the road. Alabama will appear on ESPNU on Wednesday, Nov. 9 vs. Auburn before making its final appearance on the SEC Network against Florida on Sunday, Nov. 13.

Alabama on the SEC Network